The return of Ayatoollah Khomeini to Tehran was reenacted in Tehran's Mehrabad airport on Wednesday.

Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (1902-1989) was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.

Khomeini, who was in exile, had refused to return to Iran until the Shah left. On 17 January 1979, the Shah did leave the country, never to return. Two weeks later, on Thursday, 1 February 1979, Khomeini returned in triumph to Iran, welcomed by a joyous crowd of millions

On the Air France flight on his way to Iran, Khomeini was asked by ABC News reporter Peter Jennings: "What do you feel in returning to Iran?" Khomeini answered: "Hichi" (Nothing). This statement was considered reflective of his mystical beliefs, and his non-attachment to ego.